At the Right to Life of Southwest Indiana banquet last night in Evansville, Governor Mike Pence presented our President and CEO, Mike Fichter, with a Sagamore of Wabash award, the highest Indiana honor.

Gov. Pence tweeted that he presented the award to Mike Fichter for “his lifelong commitment to the pro-life movement.”

Congratulations, Mike! And thank you, Gov. Pence, for standing with the Right to Life movement!

FORT WAYNE, IND. – Last September, Allen County Right to Life Executive Director Cathie Humbarger filed a complaint against abortion doctor, Ulrich Klopfer, for performing an abortion on a 13-year-old child in February 2013 but failing to report it within the timeframe as required by Indiana law. The law specifies that sexual activity of a 13-year-old, regardless of the perpetrator’s age, is child molesting. Abortion doctors are required to report abortions on girls under 14 to both Child Protective Services and the Indiana State Department of Health within three days of the abortion. The date of the abortion on the affidavit of probable cause and the date noted on the termination of pregnancy report for the abortion performed on the 13-year-old child are the same. Today, local media reports indicate that a 21-year-old man has been charged with child molestation in the case.

Humbarger provided the following statement:

“This sad situation magnifies why abortion reporting requirements are on the books. Abortion doctors have a responsibility to follow the law and report sexual abuse on minors. By reporting a pregnancy on a young girl within a timely fashion, police and child protective services can promptly begin an investigation and get the victim out of a harmful situation before more abuse occurs.

“We commend the authorities for following up on this situation and arresting the alleged perpetrator. We regret that a young girl is living with the aftermath of both abuse and an abortion but we are encouraged that justice will be served. We welcome anyone seeking help after an abortion to contact us for post-abortion resources.”

“It also appears that Dr. Klopfer failed to follow proper reporting requirements on girls under 14 at his Gary and South Bend abortion practices,” pointed out Mike Fichter, President and CEO of Indiana Right to Life. “Like the complaint filed by Humbarger, our Right to Life affiliates in those counties also filed complaints with the state against Dr. Klopfer for not following the law. We call on the authorities to ensure justice is done for the victims of abuse in those locations as well.”

Allen County Right to Life, based in Fort Wayne, Ind., operates out of a common concern for the sanctity of human life from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death.

Indiana Right to Life’s mission is to protect the right to life, especially of unborn children, through positive education, compassionate advocacy and promotion of healthy alternatives to abortion.